Trenton inmate sentenced to six years for pouring scalding water on fellow detainee

TONY KURDZUK/THE STAR-LEDGERNew Jersey State Prison in Trenton in a 2009 photo.

TRENTON -- An inmate at the state prison in Trenton was sentenced to six years in jail today for pouring scalding water on another man during a group attack.

Derek Williams, 23, of Trenton was sentenced by Superior Court Judge Thomas Brown to six years for second degree assault. Williams admitted his role as one of five people who attacked the other inmate.

Williams will serve the time concurrently with his current 13-year sentence for robbery. Brown also imposed three years of supervised parole after Williams is released. He was offered a plea agreement and pleaded guilty to the assault charge on May 4.

Williams was one of three men who attempted to rob a city apartment at gunpoint in 2009. The theft went awry when the father of one of the victims wrestled with the gunman and the gun went off, wounding two of the victims.

The robbers wore masks, but the three victims were able to identify Williams, who has a distinctive injury to his hand. Williams also took a plea deal in the robbery case, pleading guilty to robbery. Other charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault and weapons offenses were dropped.